Potbelly Helping Mayo Volunteers with Haiti Donation

(ABC 6 News) -- Potbelly Sandwich Shop in Rochester is donating 25% of their purchases Wednesday to a hospital in Haiti. They were approached by a Mayo Clinic Employee to take part in this effort.

"Everyone's been mentioning the Haiti fundraiser, so they got the word out. They did a good job," said one of the owners of Potbelly, Krik Gordon. They're donating 25% of every purchase to St.Luke’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince.

"Potbelly's has had such a big heart for St. Luke, and Haiti, and our initiative there," said Mayo Employee Michelle Holm.

"Once Michelle approached us, we kind of rolled it out to the staff and everyone's really excited. We're kind of a little family here, so we're absolutely on board," said Gordon.

Michelle Holm has been going to Haiti with hundreds of other volunteers for the past 4 years since the devastating earthquake. "The average Haitian only eats one meal in a day and there's only one doctor for every 10,000 people in Haiti," said Holm.

She’s been helping to provide food, care, and most of all, educating hospital staff on modern medical practices. “We as Mayo Clinic volunteers have really been trying to give them access to the same medical information that we have here in Rochester," said Holm.

So, why go Potbelly's for monetary donations? Turns out, they have a similar story. "One of our other owners went out to Haiti about a year ago and she loved it. She spent the week there donating her time, so she was on board. She's been talking about it since she got back, it just changed her life," said Gordon.

"The people of Haiti are absolutely amazing. They really have the warmest hearts and Mayo Abroad has really fueled my passion for unserved global health," said Holm.